New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge remains determined to return for the beginning of the playoffs. The 34-year-old reiterated on Wednesday that his objective is to be available for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium.

Manager Aaron Boone said before Wednesday's game that the recovery process is underway and that New York's training staff is working to get Judge back on the field as quickly as possible. After the Yankees' 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Boone said he was not ruling out Judge’s return.

The manager described Judge's injury on Tuesday as a “moderate-grade” right calf strain, a characterization that didn’t sit well with the star outfielder. Judge pointed out that the meaning of “moderate” can vary from person to person and took issue with Boone's decision to choose those words to describe his injury publicly.

“Everybody's ‘moderate' is a little different,” said Judge. “I think your moderate is a little different than my moderate, and so on and so on.

“So I don't know why he used those words, but I'm trying to come back as soon as I can.”

Judge added: “Boonie’s my guy. I've always got his back. I know he makes the right decisions. Obviously, as a player, you don't want to hear that. But that's out of my control. I've got a job to do. I've got to come back and be ready to go. That's what I'm focused on right now.”

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Judge was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, retroactive to Thursday, after sustaining the injury during New York's series against the Minnesota Twins. Judge received a platelet-poor plasma injection in his right calf on Monday and is expected to have limited activity for several days.

Judge has identified the injured area as the soleus muscle in his right calf, explaining that it is particularly important for running and hitting. He also intends to return as a right fielder rather than serve only as a designated hitter, which would allow Ben Rice to remain at DH.

The Yankees did not disclose the injury's severity until after Judge landed on the injured list. The situation became more concerning after Judge returned from an 88-game absence caused by a fractured rib on September 8, only to suffer the calf injury eight days later.

Judge appeared in seven games following his return in September, going 4-for-23 (.174) with one home run. For the season, he has hit .241/.360/.511 with 18 home runs and 41 RBIs in 66 games.

Judge has already confirmed that he will miss the upcoming series against the Baltimore Orioles, but he continues to target a postseason return.